


How Love Is

by orphan_account



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Crushes, Drinking, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-07-10 09:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15946112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Chocolate of all people should know how to handle his own feelings, but somehow he just can't when it comes to Coffee.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love these two together,,,, so much,,,,,,, two dumbass thots,,,, perfect for eachother
> 
> Follow my Tumblr black-tea-pose for shitposting, gay stuff and discourse about whether or not pekings children are his actual biological kids.
> 
> Spoilers for Chocolate's backstory I guess

Chocolate had a dilemma. A very annoying dilemma. A dilemma he'd been trying to ignore for a while now in the hopes that it would go away but had no such luck with.

Usually when it came to romance, Chocolate would be the one giving advice, would be the one handing out pickup lines and helping people flirt when they were completely hopeless at it. Feelings- particularly feelings of love- were his area of expertise. And yet, when those feelings were his own, he had absolutely no idea how to handle them.

Obviously, he'd experienced love before- he often said that he'd loved (and still did love) Salina. He wore her necklace around his wrist as a reminder of her life and the times he'd spent with her, but it had never been quite like this. He'd loved her, yes, he would've given his life if it meant she could've had hers. But his love for her had been different; so close that he could've known her from birth, could've been connected to her by blood.

This love, however, was different.

This love was an all-consuming, always constant feeling of nervousness, of happiness and of something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on, all at the same time. He did all he could to push it to the back of his mind, but it always managed to sneak its way back to the front no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. It made him feel giddy and light with happiness but also heavy and sick, made him jumpy yet relaxed him at the same time.

For a long time Chocolate decided to ignore it, deny that it even existed at all- maybe then it would go away. But it didn't. It just kept on growing and growing until it was nearly the only thing he felt to the point where it was completely unignorable. He soon came to the conclusion that denial wasn't an option; though he could certainly never be open about it, he could- and had to- accept it.

But that wasn't the worst part of Chocolate’s love. The worst part was the object of his affection, was the very thing-or rather, person- that had caused this constant ecstatic-yet-nauseated sensation that he called love.

Chocolate could usually tell when somebody liked him. He'd be able to flirt with them or offer them a rose and their reaction would tell him whether or not their feelings towards him were romantic or platonic. Coffee, however, was different. Behind his sly pick-up lines and sexual innuendos, Chocolate couldn't see any feelings. They never seemed like they were fuelled by emotion, not even lust. It was just empty teasing rather than a sign of affection, and after all his years of knowing him, Chocolate had come to accept that this was just how Coffee was.

And yet he was completely, totally, hopelessly head-over-heels in love with him. The times he spent with him were times he looked forward to over anything else. He savoured every glance his way, every gentle smile and soft laugh. When he listened to Coffee flirting with others-from food souls to guests at the restaurant- he couldn't help but wish the he was the one on the recieving end of his dirty jokes and pick-up lines. During the little time he had alone, he often found himself wondering how it would feel to have Coffee's hair tangled between his fingers, or if his lips would feel as soft as they looked if he were to kiss him.

He would've called it an infatuation if it weren't for the fact that it had lasted since the second time he'd met him.

Chocolate didn't know what to do about it.

He couldn't tell anyone- mostly because he didn't trust them to keep it a secret. He couldn't confess to Coffee- he knew he didn't like him back, so all that would do would be make things more awkward. His only real option was to let go and move on, but he'd been trying that for years with absolutely no results.

There was only one thing he really could do, and that was admire Coffee from afar and keep his feelings to himself. It certainly wasn't the best choice he could make emotionally, but it was the only practical one.

The problem here was that Chocolate was a very emotional person. And as emotional people do, he let his feelings get the better of him.

Which is how he ended up in the empty restaurant at one in the morning talking to Tiramisu about his dilemma over his fourth mimosa. As the night had progressed the champagne-to-orange juice ratio had slowly increased and he was starting the feel the effects of the alcohol he'd consumed. He was also sitting with his head on the table, gripping his drink maybe a little too tightly and biting his lip to try and stop it from breaking.

“I just don't know what to _do,_ ” he told her, swirling his drink around in his glass with his forehead resting on his arms atop the table, “I can't exactly _tell him_.”

He heard Tiramisu sigh, and looked up to see her looking down at him with a pitiful smile. “Well it seems that keeping it to yourself isn't doing much good either,” she said, “Anyway, I thought you were meant to be the love expert, I don't know why you're asking me for relationship advice.”

Chocolate sat up, downing the rest of his drink with a frown, pushing his hair out of his face. “I know, I know,” he said, “But what's going to happen if I tell him? He'll probably just be confused.”

“And is that so bad?” Tiramisu took the glass out of his hand so he couldn't pour himself another drink, “It could go a lot worse, you know.”

Chocolate let out a groan, reaching for the glass. “That's what I'm worried about,” he said, “And I don't want to risk it.” He huffed in annoyance as Tiramisu put the glass down on the floor next to her so he wouldn't be able to take it back, burying his face in his palms.

Tiramisu slid her chair closer to him and he rested his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes and letting out another sigh. After that there was silence for a few seconds and Chocolate allowed her to gently run her fingers through his hair. He wasn’t crying just yet, but he could feel a lump in his throat as his vision began to blur.

“I think I’m drunk,” he muttered, “Can you get me some water?”

“Of course,” Tiramisu pushed him gently off of her shoulder, getting up, “After that you should really get some rest. You’re just overthinking things because it’s late-”

“And I’m drunk.”

Tiramisu didn’t answer this, letting him lay his head back down on the table as she got up to find him water. He shut his eyes and let himself relax, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure what was annoying him more: the fact that he was crying drunk over Coffee of all people, or the fact that it was him of all people doing the crying.

Pretty pathetic, huh.

“Chocolate?”

Chocolate was separated from his thoughts as he heard a voice coming from beside him. He looked up, blinking in surprise and quickly wiping his eyes to hide that he’d been crying.

“Master Attendant,” he said, keeping his voice as flat as he could, “What are you doing up at this time of night?”

“I should be asking you the same thing,” his master pulled out the chair that Tiramisu had been sitting on and sat down, his line of sight moving from Chocolate to the half-empty bottle of champagne on the other side of the table. “Celebrating something?” he asked, the corner of his lips turning upwards into a smile.

Chocolate shook his head, looking down with a laugh. “Not really,” he said, “The opposite, really… Where's Tiramisu?”

“I sent her away to rest. I wanted to talk in private.”

“Ah.”

He heard his master shuffle closer to him, and a tattooed hand came to rest atop his own. “Chocolate, what's going on?” he asked, “You're hardly the kind of person who gets drunk at…” he paused to look up at the clock- “One-seventeen in the morning, so something's gotta be up, right?”

“I just…” he hesitated for a second, fiddling with the end of his sleeve, before sighing and explaining, “I have feelings for someone, and I'm not exactly sure how to tell them- or if I should them in the first place.”

Master Attendant nodded slowly, seeming to understand. He gently stroked the food soul’s knuckle with his thumb, pursing his lips in thought for a few moments before replying. “Can I ask a question?” he said, “And you can tell me if this is weird or intrusive or anything.”

“Go ahead.”

“... Is this person Coffee by any chance?” Chocolate practically sobered up on the spot. He blinked in surprise, opening his mouth to speak then closing it when he realised that he couldn't think of anything to say. His Master Attendant just laughed, tilting his head back and running a hand through his hair. “He may be completely oblivious to it but I'm not,” he told him, “You look at him like he's your life support some shit, it's kind of sickening to be honest.”

Chocolate bit his lip, looking away in embarrassment. “Regardless of who it is,” he said, “I still don't know whether or not I should tell him.”

“How long have you liked him for?”

“Years,” Chocolate explained, “Pretty much since we met.”

His Master Attendant rolled his eyes and pretended to gag. “Disgusting.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“As nauseating as that is,” he continued, “You're never going to know whether or not he likes you back if you don't tell him,” his master continued, “I doubt you'll have any problem being romantic, so just buy him some flowers or some shit and if he rejects you respect that and move on. Okay?”

Chocolate opened his mouth to protest, but paused and closed it again when he realised that he had no arguments against what his Master Attendant had just said. When all was said and done, that was all he really could do if he wanted to get any kind of alleviation from his situation. He let out a sigh and gave his master a small smile. “Alright, Master Attendant,” he told him softly, “I suppose I don't have anything to lose from this, do I?”

“... Other than your closest friend, no,” his master said, flashing him a grin as he stood up from his seat. “Good luck, Chocolate,” he said, winking before turning around on his heels and heading over to the door, “Oh, and please try to sober up by the morning.”

Then, before Chocolate could say anything in return, his Master Attendant was gone, leaving him to stare after him in silence. He eventually got up and headed to his room to sleep, the thought of confessing running through his head keeping him awake as he lay in bed. The more he thought about it, the less terrifying the idea of it became. Then again, that could just be the alcohol clouding his judgement.

He'd have to think about this when he was less tired and, more importantly, less intoxicated. Even then, drunk and ready to fall asleep at any moment, he knew that whatever he chose to do, it wouldn't be easy.

That's just how love was sometimes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uhm… okay,” Coffee let out a small laugh, paused, then said, “Can I ask you something?”
> 
> Chocolate felt a lump rise to his throat as he forced himself to make- and this time keep- eye contact with him. “Go ahead,” he answered, trying his best (but probably failing) to hide his nerves.
> 
> “Do you have feelings for me?”
> 
> \--
> 
> Chocolate is a disaster gay. Someone help this poor guy.

Coffee looked gorgeous today. Chocolate wasn't sure if it was because he'd done something to look different or of it was just the lingering effects of the alcohol he'd consumed the previous night, but there was something about him that day that was just absolutely stunning. He watched him from the corner of the restaurant as he served customers and made idle small talk with the other food souls, knowing he should be working but being unable to stop himself from becoming distracted whenever he looked his way.

He watched as Coffee ran his slender fingers through his hair, tilting his head backwards slightly as he let out a soft laugh. Chocolate wondered for a second who had made him laugh, if it was a flirtatious joke or just a casual comment, before realising he needed to focus and going back to just stealing the odd glance at him from afar. He wasn't able to focus properly at all throughout his shift. Every time he looked away from what he was doing he found himself watching Coffee from across the room and more than once he found himself asking customers to repeat their order because he hadn't been concentrating the first time they'd told him. He knew that such personal matters shouldn't have been on his mind while he was supposed to be working, but the very second he had a moment to himself he found himself thinking about was his Master had said to him the previous night.

He'd spent all morning wondering whether or not it would really be that bad if he just confessed his feelings already. Now that his head was clear and the alcohol had left his system, he was almost entirely sure that his Master and Tiramisu had been right all along. Everything they'd said to him had made sense, and, unlike him, their judgement had remained unaffected by alcohol or emotions. Perhaps, once their breaks had both started, he could talk to him about his feelings. Even if they weren't reciprocated, at least he'd no longer be keeping it to himself-

“Are you okay?”

Chocolate looked up in surprise, separated from his thoughts when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

“I'm fine, Coffee,” he quickly answers, flashing a quick smile, “Why, do I look ill?” Coffee let out a soft laugh, shaking his head and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and Chocolate could swear he felt his heart skip at least three beats.

“You’re distracted,” Coffee observed, “Is there something bothering you?”

Chocolate knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to come clean. Just being honest was by far the simplest option right now, but something told him that it wasn't a good idea to do that in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by strangers. So instead, he just shrugged and said, “I don't know what you're talking about.”

He turned to leave, but before he could walk away he felt Coffee's hand on his arm, gripping him firmly enough that he couldn't pull away.

“Hey,” he said, “Do you think I'm stupid? I can tell when you're lying, you know.”

Chocolate stiffened up, a nervous laugh leaving his lips as he wriggled out of his grasp.

“Really?” he retorted, “Because I'm not lying about anything.”

Coffee raised an eyebrow, folding his arms but staying silent. Chocolate opened his mouth the speak, paused, and then closed it again when he realised he didn't have anything to say. The two of them didn't speak for a few moments, looking each-other in the eye as of daring the other to say something. It was Chocolate who looked away first, rolling his eyes and turning his back so Coffee wouldn't know how embarrassed he was. “We should be getting back to work,” he told him, picking up his notepad and starting to leave. However, before he could, Coffee took his hand, squeezing it tightly so that he wouldn't be able to pull away.

“Wait a second,” he said, “Before we go, promise me you'll tell me what's going on once your shift is over, okay?”

“... What if I don't want to?”

“Then I won't let you go.”

To be completely honest, Chocolate was tempted to keep his mouth shut, unable to stop himself from smiling as he looked down at their hands In the silence he found himself wondering how it would feel if their fingers were intertwined, if Coffee were pulling him close and pressing his lips against his-

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Coffee's voice interrupted his thoughts and Chocolate found himself focussing on reality once more.

“Yes,” he lied, “Is there something else you need?”

“I need you to tell me what's going on, Chocolate,” Coffee said, his voice quiet but firm, “Because right now I'm worried about you, and I don't want to leave your side until you're okay.”

At this, Chocolate felt his heart flutter. Deep down, he knew that his words had no romantic intention behind them, but he couldn't help but wonder whether or not what Coffee had just said was more than just friendly. He allowed a sigh to leave his mouth, lips curling upwards into a small smile.

“Everything's fine, Coffee,” he told him, “You're making a fuss over nothing, I promise you.”

His friend raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “If you think I'm falling for that, you're wrong,” he said, then paused for a few seconds to think, fiddling with the chain attached to his glasses, “If it's really that bad, you don't have to tell me right now.” He paused, looking down at his watch. “My break is in about half an hour, I'll talk to you then. In the meantime I'll find someone to finish your shift for you.”

“That’s not necessary,” Chocolate quickly said, “It's the middle of the lunch rush, I wouldn't want to put that one someone else.”

“Then tell me what's wrong.”

Crap, he really wasn't giving up, was he? Chocolate frowned, looking down to avoid eye contact. Perhaps this was a sign that he should finally say something. Perhaps Tiramisu and his master had been right; it wasn't like he had too many choices. Plus, if what they'd said had been true, and Coffee really was the only one who hadn't yet noticed how in love with him he was, surely he'd find out by himself anyway. Chocolate was usually one to follow his emotions rather than logic when it came to decisions like this, but right now the two of them were in total agreement. It just… made sense.

Inhaling deeply and slowly, Chocolate had made up his mind. He did his best to smile at his friend, hoping it didn't look too forced as he spoke. “Coffee,” he said softly, “I… suppose there is something I need to say to you…”

Coffee grinned. “I knew it.”

For a few seconds, Chocolate paused, taking a moment to think about how to make this as genuine and romantic as possible. Ideally he'd be giving him flowers and a taking him out somewhere nice, but his impulsive decision had made that totally impractical and entirely impossible. Instead, all he had was the storage closet in the back of the restaurant and his own words. After several moments’ silence, Chocolate inhaled sharply and opened his mouth to speak; there was really no avoiding it now. He knew what he had to do.

“Coffee,” he said, keeping his voice low and serious, “I… need to admit something… I, uh…” he looked up to make eye contact with the other food soul, looking away again instantly as he caught sight of the smile on his lips. “I don’t want to force you to do anything that you don’t want to do, alright?”

“Uhm… okay,” Coffee let out a small laugh, paused, then said, “Can I ask you something?”

Chocolate felt a lump rise to his throat as he forced himself to make- and this time keep- eye contact with him. “Go ahead,” he answered, trying his best (but probably failing) to hide his nerves.

“Do you have feelings for me?”

Chocolate felt his heart stop and his face heat up as Coffee’s words left his mouth. Shit. _Shit shit shit._ Had he worked it out that easily? Something about the playful grin on his face told Chocolate that he not only knew, but he had so for a while. He swallowed and bit his lip, doing his best to act calm as he replied. “Well… yeah, sure,” he said- fuck, that sounded awkward-, “I mean, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or ruin our friendship or anything, I just-”

“Shut up, Chocolate.”

“What?”

Coffee laughed again, stepping closer to him. “For someone who’s meant to know everything about romance,” he said, “You’re not very good at actually being romantic.”

Chocolate smiled nervously. “I’m sorry, it’s just…” his voice trailed off as Coffee inched closer, bringing a hand up to his face, cupping his cheek.

“I thought I told you to shut up,” was all Coffee said, before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to his. For a second, Chocolate froze, before relaxing and leaning into him as they kissed. Coffee’s lips were warm and gentle against his own, just as soft as he’d imagined them to be as he opened his mouth slightly to deepen the kiss. Chocolate could just about make out the lingering taste of his namesake on his tongue as he slipped it between his lips, closing his eyes and slipping his arms around his neck.

It was Coffee who pulled away, and Chocolate's eyes opened slowly, unable to stop himself from grinning. “Coffee, I-”

“Kiss me again,” Coffee interrupted, leaning in until their lips were just centimetres away. Chocolate laughed softly, raising an eyebrow.

“Can you let me finish me sentence?” he said, waiting for the other food soul to sigh and nod before he continued, “Coffee, I love you.”

For a few moments there was silence and Chocolate wondered if he’d been too frank in his confession- he really wasn’t much good at this, was he? He opened his mouth to apologise, but once again Coffee cut him off, taking his hands into his own as he spoke.

“I figured it out,” he told him, “About… seven years ago.”

Chocolate raised an eyebrow. “It took you that long to notice?”

“It took you longer to admit it.”

“Touché,” he laughed, looking down at their intertwined fingers then back up at Coffee. The smile on his face faded and he felt the lump in his throat return as he inhaled sharply. “But… you do like me back… don’t you?”

Coffee gave him a flat look. “I just made out with you,” he said, voice level and matter-of-fact, “I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t love you back.” He grinned, bringing a hand back up to his face and gently stroked his cheek with his thumb. “Besides,” he continued, “I don't know how I couldn't have fallen for you. You're beautiful person I've ever seen.” Chocolate found himself speechless, unable to stop himself from grinning. He tried to think of something to say, and when he couldn’t he just wrapped his arms around him and pulled him back in for another kiss. He didn’t know how long it lasted, only that he could happily stay like this for hours, with Coffee’s arms around him and his lips against his. Sure, they had work to do, but for now he was more than happy to forget about it and just focus on the man he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this!!! I've got some more drafts of food fantasy fics and they (yes, including the chatfic) should be upadted (kinda) regularly!!!


End file.
